San Rafael gang member sent to prison for dragging man from stolen car

By Gary Klien Marin Independent Journal

Posted:
11/28/2012 08:43:00 PM PST

A San Rafael gang member accused of stealing a man's car and then dragging the owner through the street while he clung to the door was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday.

Christian Fernando Baker, 20, was arrested on June 23 in the Canal area, where he entered a Toyota Corolla parked on Fairfax Street, police said. The owner of the car came outside and saw Baker in his car, preparing to drive away.

The owner opened the car door.

Baker drove off with the victim still holding on to the door, then swerved toward parked cars in an effort to knock the victim down, said San Rafael police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher.

The victim let go and fell to the ground to avoid being crushed against the other cars.

The victim, an 18-year-old San Rafael resident, told police he recognized Baker, and police arrested the him at his residence on Bahia Way. The car was found the nearby with the keys in the ignition.

Baker eventually took a plea offer, admitting to assault and gang-related charges. At the sentencing Wednesday, prosecutor Nicole Pantaleo said Baker showed no remorse and refused to disavow the gang life.

He also was on probation for other cases when the crime happened.

"He is a danger to society," Pantaleo told Judge Paul Haakenson. "This defendant has decided he will not be rehabilitated."

Haakenson said it was unpleasant to send someone as young as Baker to prison, where he would encounter people who make his crimes look like "tiddlywinks." But he said the case warranted it, and that he had warned Baker in previous cases.

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"It's a sad example of what this ridiculous gang lifestyle has become in Marin County," Haakenson said.

Last December, Baker pleaded guilty to misdemeanor weapons charges after the stabbing of a gang rival, authorities said. He was released on his own recognizance pending sentencing, but then got arrested again after a fight with San Rafael police.